Container with telescoping closure



Oct. 28, 1952 H. c REEsER' 2,615,613

CONTAINER WITH TELESCOPING CLOSURE Filed March 25, 1949 2 SHEETSr-r-SHEET l INVENTOR ATTO R N EY Oct. 28, 1952 c EE 2,615,613 I CONTAINER WITH TELESCOPING CLOSURE Filed March 25, 1949 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 W41 I. I Q

5; 62 h 1%.E. l i o O o 54 0 5o 6 l Aio a 60 34 0 4 o 0 1 3 52 0'4 0'2 57 1 7 L O 0 12 ,127 T 7;-' 1; O o 4/ O /5/ I,

INVENTOR 59 liter Z. finite ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 28, 1952 CONTAINER WITH TELESCOPING CLOSURE Harry 0. Reeser, North Hollywood, Calif., assignor to The Patent and Licensing Corporation, New I York, N. Y., a corporation of Massachusetts Application March 25, 1949, Serial No. 83,392

This invention'relates to containers and more particularly to that type of container consisting of a body portion and a cover member which entirely or partially telescopes over the body portion.

Containers of this general type are used for transporting perishable commodities such as fruits and vegetables.

In containers of this telescoping cover type, hand holes are generally provided in opposite ends of the telescoping portion of the cover so that a grip may be had for lifting and holding the container. Although these containers are generally designed and constructed so that the cover is in firm frictional engagement with the body portion when in telescoping relation thereto it nevertheless frequently happens thatwhen the container, with its contents, is lifted by inserting the fingers of the hand in the hand holes, the Weight of such'contents is sufficient to overcome the force of frictional resistance between the walls of the cover and the walls of the body portion, causing the loaded body portion to drop away from the cover portion.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a box or container of this general type so formed as to prevent dropping of the body portion when the box is gripped and lifted by means of hand holes formed in the cover portion.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved box of this character in which gripping of the hand holes in the cover will also afford a grip on the body portion of the box and from the detailed description herein and from the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective showing one form of box embodying the invention as it is being lifted by the fingers of the hand, and with parts broken away for purposes of illustration;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the box of Fig. 1 with the cover thereof partially removed;

Fig. 3 is a'fragmentary view, in vertical section, of one end of the box;

Fig. 4 is a View similar to Fig. 3, showing the parts when gripped for lifting the box;

Fig. 5 is a view, in perspective, showing one end of the body portion of the box as it appears when partially set up;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a blank from which the cover of the box shown in Figs. 1-5 may be made; and

3 Claims. (01. 229-43) Fig. 7 is a similar view of a blank from which the body portion of the box may be made.

As will be understood from the description herein, the invention may be embodied in various forms of containersof the type in which the closures or cover portion has depending walls which partially or entirely telescope over and frictionally engage the upstanding walls of the body portion. However, for purposes of illustration, the invention will be herein described with reference to a box or container in a form generally known as a tomato lug, for transporting to-' matoes or the like. v I

The box maybe made from any suitable material, but the illustrative embodiment herein shown is preferably made from fiberboard either corrugated or solid.

This form of box, generally indicated by'the numeral 10, consists of a body portion H and a separate cover or closure member [2. The body member H comprises a rectangular bottom wall [3, integral side Walls l5 and endwalls I1, extending upwardly therefrom. The side walls may be connected to the end walls as by means of flaps l9 at each end of the sidewalls, folded around the exterior of the end walls and secured thereto as by means of staples 2|.

1 It will be understood that the side walls H: are substantially the same height as the end walls. Ii.

According to the invention, each of the end walls H is provided witha flange 23 folded over on to the exterior of the flaps l9 and secured as by means of staples 25 extending. through the flaps l9 and through the Walls I1. In the embodiment illustrated, the flanges 23 are shown as extending throughout the length of the walls I1. It will be understood, however, that these flanges 23 need not be equal to such length, so

long as they are of sufficient length to bridge the spacebetween the opposed edges 21 of the flaps l9 and extend therebeyond a distance sufiicient to enable staples 25 to be driven so as to pass through the flaps l9 into the end wall I1. The fiaps I 9 are each of a length substantally less than half the traverse dimension of the box, so that the opposed edges 21 will be spaced from each other a distance sufficient to accommodate readily the fingers of the hand.

The cover or closure member l2 comprises a rectangular top 30 having integral side walls 32 and end walls 34 depending therefrom. As will be understood, the dimensions of top 30 are slightly greater than those of the bottom walls l3 and are such as to permit'the' walls 32, 34 of the cover to telescope over and frictionally engage the walls l5, ll of the body portion. In the embodiment illustrated, the side and end walls of the cover are of substantially the same height as that of the side and end walls of the body portion so as to telescope over the latter substantially completely. The side and end walls of the cover may be secured as by means of flaps 36 on the end walls, folded interiorly of the side walls and secured to the latter as by means of staples 38.

The end walls 34 of the cover are provided with the usual unobstructed hand holes 40 centrally along the length thereof and at a short distance below the top 30. These hand holes, when the cover is in position on the body, overlie the space intermediate the opposed edges 21 of the flaps [9 thus permitting the users fingers to pass through the hand holes and lift the body by means of the flanges 23.

As best illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, the flanges 23 on the bodyportion are each of a dimension, measured vertically from the crease line 4] to the lower edge 43 thereof, substantially equal to the vertical distance between the'top 30 and the upper horizontal'edge 44 of the hand holes in the cover. Hence, when the cover is in telescoping position on the body portion, the lower edges 43 of flanges 23 willbe positioned-substantially in registry withedges 44 of the hand holes.

It will be seen, therefore, that when the covered box is to be lifted, it may be gripped by inserting the fingers through the hand holes 45 and passing them around the edges 43 in the downwardly opening pockets formed at each end of the box between the outer faces of the walls I! and the inner faces of the flanges 23,thereby gripping not only the cover but also the body portion. The latter is thus restrained from dropping under the Weight of its contents, downward movement of the body portion being prevented when the fingers of the hand reach the upper end of the pockets, 1. e., the'fold lines 4|. At the same time, since walls 1'! have no openings through-which the fingers of the hand may extend, contact with or injury to the contents positioned at this portion of the loaded box is also avoided.

The body portion of the box illustrated in Figs. l-4 may be formed from a blank such as shown in Fig. 7. This blank, indicated generally by the numeral comprises a substantially square piece of fiberboard, such as corrugated board or solid fiberboard, having extensions at one pair of its opposite ends for forming the flanges 23. The blank is scored along spaced lines 55 parallel to one another and extending from one side "51 of the blank to the opposite side 59 thereof. The blank is also provided with scores 6| at right angles to and connecting the scores 55,'thus defining a panel constituting the bottom wall I3 of the box. The panels defined b the scores6 1, side edges 51,59 and the portions of the scores 55 between the-scores'6l and these side edges, constitute the side walls P5 of the box. Scores 61, parallel to the scores 55, are

provided at opposite ends of the'blank in alignment with the edges 21, thus'defining the flanges 23 of the box. The blank is slotted at "H in alignment with the scores BL-these slots 'extend ing from the scores 55 to the opposite edges 59 of the blank and defining with said scores, the end walls H.

The body of, the box is formed from the blank of Fig. 7 by bending the same along the score lines 55 and 5| toposition the side walls and with scores 60. 54,150 constitutes the top 30 of the cover por- 58 constitute the end walls 34 of the cover.

end walls I1 in planes at a right angle to the bottom panel l3, whereupon the flaps I9 may be bent around the exterior of the end walls I1 and fastened to the latter by means of staples 2| or the like. Thereupon the flanges 23 are bent through an arc of onto the outer faces of the fiaps l9 and secured thereto and to the end walls I1 by means of staples 25 or the like.

The cover member may be formed from a blank as shown in Fig. 6. This blank, consisting of material preferably the same as that used for the body "portion, is indicated generally by the numeral 52 and consists of a square piece of the material. Blank 52 is provided with parallel scores 54 extending from one of its end edges 56 to the opposite edge 58. At right angles to the scores 54, the blank is provided with scores 60, connecting the scores 54, and with slots 52 extending from each of the scores 54 to the adjacent side edges 54 of the blank, in alignment The panel, defined by the scores tion 12; the panels defined by the scores 54, slots 62, and side edges 64 constitute the side walls 32 of the cover portion; and the panels defined by scores 54, 50 and the end edges 58, Hand holes 40 are formed in each of these panels 34 centrally along the length thereof and adjacent the scores 60. In forming the cover from the blank, the side 'walls 32 and end walls 34 are bent along the score'lines '5'4, 60 respectively, into planes at a right angle to panel 30 and the flaps 36 are preferably positioned, after being bent along the score lines 54, interiorly of the side walls 32 and secured thereto by means of staples '38 or the like.

As customary in boxes to be used for transporting perishable commodities, ventilating openings are provided in the walls thereof. Such openings are indi'c-ated'in Figs. 1 and 2, it being understood that the openingsBl 'in the body portion and the openings 82 in the cover portion will be formed in the'blanks in such locations that when the cover is in position on the body portion these openings will register with one another.

Although I have herein described one particularembodiment of the invention it'will be understood that'this is for purposes of'illustration and that the invention may be embodied in other forms of boxes utilizing telescoping covers.

I claim:

1. Abox of thecharacter described, comprising-a body portion having upstanding side and end walls and a cover portion having depending side and end walls for telescoping engagement with the side and end walls of the body portion, one opposite pair of walls of said body portion being provided along the upper edges thereof with flanges extending downwardly from said upper edges and secured to theexterior surface of said walls at spaced points to provide downwardly opening pockets between said flanges and said walls intermediate said spaced points, said cover member having openings constituting unobstructed hand holes in the corresponding walls thereof, the upper edges of said openings being positionedimmediately adjacent the lower ends of said pocketslthus permitting the user's fingers to pass through the hand holes and-lift'the .body by means of the flanges.

2. A box of the characte 'described, comprising a body portion having upstanding side and end walls and a cover portion having depending side and end walls for telescoping engagement with the side and end walls of the body portion, the side walls of the body portion having flaps folded against the outside faces of the end walls thereof and secured thereto, the end edges of said flaps on each of said end walls being spaced from one another, said end Walls being provided along the upper edges thereof with flanges folded against the outer surfaces of said flaps and secured thereto to provide downwardly opening pockets, said cover member having openings constituting unobstructed hand holes in the end walls thereof, said openings being positioned immediately adjacent the lower edges of said flanges thus permitting the users fingers to pass through the hand holes and lift the body by means of the flanges.

3. A box as defined in claim 2, wherein said openings are positioned intermediate the opposed end edges of said flaps.

HARRY C. REESER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 55,709 Reese June 19, 1866 1,146,517 Potter July 13, 1915 1,473,432 Huye Nov. 6, 1923 1,646,665 Smith Oct. 25, 1927 1,815,565 Hill et a1 July 21, 1931 2,456,841 Rushing Dec. 21, 1948 

